Partnership Provides High Quality Mats for Submission Fighting Competitions
MAPLE GROVE, MN – August 5, 2009 – Zebra will be the official mat sponsor for the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Fighting World Championships, a no-gi, invitation-only event to be held in Barcelona, Spain later this year. To qualify for this competition, ADCC is having eight different trials on various continents around the world and inviting last year’s champions and a few select wildcards. Substantial cash prizes are offered to competitors who place in the top three and weight classes for women and men will be contested.
Marko Leisten, President of the ADCC Federation is excited about the partnership. “Zebra produces the finest quality mats and their support means that our athletes will get to experience the difference that the smooth vinyl MMA mats offer,” he commented. “I have been training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for more than 10 years and have had the opportunity to practice on a variety of surfaces. Zebra mats are excellent and will make our event better.”
Athletes from various disciplines including Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo, Greco-Roman and other forms of wrestling, compete in submission fighting tournaments. The ADCC World Championships, however, is considered the toughest and most prestigious event in its category.
“The ADCC World Championships has historically used canvas covered wrestling mats. I know the athletes will enjoy competing on our MMA mats as this surface is specifically designed for submission wrestling,” commented Jimmy Pedro, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Zebra. “Not only will the mats provide a more even and consistent surface to move on, they are safer as well.”
Zebra is also sponsoring a series of regional qualifying events in the U.S. called the ADCC Regional Championships. These competitions enable athletes to compete for a spot at the ADCC National Championships where winners will be sent to the ADCC Worlds.
The ADCC Regional Championships are strongly focused on delivering an excellent event and competition experience for its clients–the athletes. “We are really working to raise the level of professionalism in our sport and that’s one of the main reasons we turned to Zebra,” stated Event Director Brett Boyce.
In addition to high level regional competition, each Regional Championships will provide a free seminar for athletes. At the upcoming competition in West Orange, NJ, champion grappler Marcelo Garcia will be teaching. And to ensure athletes don’t have to wait around all day to compete, the events are organized so that participants will know when their matches will be contested. “We want our competitors to experience the best mats, the best facilities, and excellent competition at affordable prices,” commented Mr. Boyce.
Mr. Boyce noted that after each Regional Championship, the competition mats will be on sale at significantly discounted prices. At the New Jersey event, Zebra has also donated a 10 ft. x 10 ft. home mat system that will be raffled and all proceeds given to a grappler or charity in the local area.
The ADCC World Championships is an invitation-only event which takes place every two years to determine the best no-gi grapplers in the world. Sixteen competitors in each of five weight classes for men and two weight classes for women plus the absolutes will be invited. It is considered to be the most difficult submission fighting event on the globe. This year’s competition will take place in Barcelona, Spain on September 26-27. For more information, contact Marko Leisten via e-mail at: [email protected] or visit the website: http://adccbarcelona.com/about.
The ADCC Regional Championships are a series of submission grappling events that will be held this year in: Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Grand Rapids, MI; Seattle, WA; Sacramento, CA; Denver, CO; and NJ. For more information, contact Brett Boyce at via e-mail at: [email protected].
Founded in 1997, Zebra offers comprehensive training facility solutions and world class flooring systems to the striking arts and grappling martial arts industries. Focused on quality craftsmanship and offering an extensive product line, Zebra is the first company to market premium mat systems for all martial art disciplines. The company is headquartered in Maple Grove, Minnesota. For more information, call: (800) 989-8085 or visit: https://zebraathletics.com/
